Audacity, farsightedness, and strong creativity: et voilà La Grande Dame 2012 and the interpretation given by Yayoi Kusama

Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese artist that maison Clicquot involved in the new packaging of the 2012 Champagne La Grande Dame. It all starts in 2006 when Kusama creates an original portrait of Madame Clicquot with her distinctive polka dots. Today these patterns paired with the artist's unmistakable flowers make the packaging of the bottle of Champagne that tributes the audacity of the veuve Clicquot, an emblem of energy and optimism that encloses a crucial message in this historical moment. 

A portrait of Yayoi Kusama with the new bottle of Grande Dame 2021

A limited series of sculptures of the flower by Kusama, an emblem of love, vital energy and a tribute to life will be paired with very few large formats of La Grande Dame 2012. The difference between these two great women is a paradox, with madame Clicquot and Kusama having lived in different times, but with so many things in common. They were both born under the lucky star of a rich family, vocated to their respective independence by a unique strict education. At 27 Madame Clicquot became a widow and took the helm of the winery in Reims. With audacity, courage and entrepreneurial skills she faced the impossible challenge, convinced that Pinot Noir is the most powerful and elegant grape variety on which to focus her strategies in Champagne.

Colours, flowers and polka dots for a bottle that communicates joie de vivre

An intuition confirmed over time by the success of this Maison that produces Cuvée La Grande Dame which is made of grapes from the Grand Crus and from the historic vineyards in Aÿ, for the Grande Vallée de la Marne and Verzenay, Verzy, Ambonnay and Bouzy for the Montagne de Reims.  A revolutionary spirit similar to Lady Kusama who conquered the western world with her art: painter, sculptor and director, famous for her immersive experiences. Two women in love with beauty and details.

«The 2012  vintage – says Didier Mariotti, chef de Cave at Veuve Clicquot – is made of 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay. The disgorgement took place in September 2019 with this champagne confirming a tighter Clicquot style, seeking minerality and verticality while preserving the highest elegance and finesse. Its ageing potential is huge». While in the previous vintage, 2008, we have tertiary notes of hazelnuts and toasted scents, the 2012 vintage is a blast of jasmine and white flowers that then make way to fruity hints of pear and quince apple. The evolution then brings scents of almond that can also be noticed on the palate where it has a clean start, with notes of dried apricots, a delicate smoky note softened by candied sugar. A complex sip and in constant evolution with hints of flint and candied citrus fruits giving a silky freshness. Mariotti during a preview visit to Italy in Puglia brought from Reims some reserve wines that made us understand, once again, the complicated work on style and blends.

Madame Clicquot seen through the eyes and the art of Yayoi Kusama

«My team is made of 15 oenologists and throughout the year, we taste at least one thousand wines, of which 700 are from the year's vintage, and the rest are aged wines. There's a scheduled separation between young, less young and more mature wines. A sensorial trip that must bring balance in time with farsightedness, without every losing sight of style and creativity». The work on style for La Grande Dame is unquestionably based on its verticality, which we at Identità noticed both in the 2008 vintage, and in the 2004 that hides a strong versatility in terms of pairing. 1995, 1990 and 1989 were all brilliant, not forgetting 1979 which featured an inebriating note of truffle. 

Translated into English by Slawka G. Scarso